“I went through the budget and found places to make cuts,” Lanesboro City Councilman Tom Smith stated. Smith proceeded to review the 2017 budget to show the other members of the council where he felt cuts could be made. Among other suggestions, he proposed cutting the police budget, various departments in public works, the library budget for movies and books, the EDA, and … [Read more...]
Articles by Hannah Wingert
Reporter
hannah@fillmorecountyjournal.com
Fillmore Central kids help paint Preston mural
The K-6 students at Fillmore Central got a chance to help create Preston’s new landmark, a 16’ x 26’ outdoor mural that will be hung on the wall of the Preston Public Library above the entrance to the city offices. “The Preston Arts Council had been wanting to do a mural for quite some time,” Alison Love Unzelman said. Kay Spangler, a member of the council knew that Unzelman … [Read more...]
Wykoff dedicates new Veterans Memorial Park
It’s a project that’s been over two years in the making. Wykoff resident Harvey Schmidt knew he wanted to create a Veterans Memorial in Wykoff and so, in 2014, he formed the Wykoff Veterans Memorial Committee, which included Mike Holzer, who served as co-chair with Schmidt, Mark Anderson, LuAnn Hare, Lynn Kidd, Cheyanne Baker, John Baker, Ross Heusinkveld, Lyle Crowson, and … [Read more...]
Fillmore Central introduces Action 100 program
Dean of Students Chris Mensink updated the Fillmore Central School board on the Action 100 Initiative at their regular board meeting on October 25. The program has been well received by the teachers, students, and parents, and great progress has been made implementing it. The new parking lot at the high school in Harmony is well under way and almost completed. The … [Read more...]
Fillmore Central senior chosen as state finalist for Wendy’s High School Heisman Scholarship
“I was very surprised, but excited,” Fillmore Central senior Kiera Olson said about finding out that she had been named a state finalist for the Wendy’s High School Heisman Scholarship. Communications teacher Mrs. Mehus encouraged Kiera to apply for the scholarship because of her academic and athletic accomplishments. So Kiera filled out the application, wrote her essays, … [Read more...]
Lanesboro closes online school
Superintendent Matt Schultz recommended that the Lanesboro School Board close the online school that the district currently offers. Last year, only one student was enrolled in the program, and this year, enrollment is sitting at zero. “To continue it as a viable option, we would need to get it staffed,” Schultz pointed out as an alternative to closing. His thought was that … [Read more...]
Mabel-Canton seeks new music teacher
The Mabel-Canton school board accepted the resignation of music teacher Connor Jones, effective immediately at their October 18 meeting. So far, they have only one applicant for the job and are actively seeking more. Calls have been made to local colleges to notify music students of the opening. “We’re doing what we can do,” Dean of Students and Interim Administrator … [Read more...]
Mabel council approves ambulance purchase
The Mabel City Council reviewed two bids for a new ambulance for the Mabel Ambulance Service. One was from Mccoy Miller and the other from Lifeline. Mayor Jim Westby noted that there were significant discrepancies between the two bids, such as different chassis, gas versus diesel, and warranty lengths. The ambulance from Mccoy Miller was priced at $169,893.75 with a 15-year … [Read more...]
Residential rehab program in Harmony needs one more applicant
Michelle Vrieze from Community and Economic Development Associates led a public hearing at the Harmony City Council meeting to discuss the Small Cities Development Program in which Harmony is participating. After applying for the program three times, Harmony was accepted for a nine block radius in town. It allows homeowners within that area a loan to fix up their house. The … [Read more...]
Root River Vet Clinic enjoys benefits of a family business
Dr. LeAnne Froese already owned the Pet Medical Center in Winona with Dr. Deb Finnegan, but when they saw that the Root River Veterinary Clinic in Preston was for sale, they saw an opportunity for expansion. The two purchased it from Dr. Linda Sifford and took ownership in September 2014. Dr. Finnegan works full-time at the Winona vet clinic while Dr. Froese works full-time … [Read more...]